Recently I have been asked to become a sub-deacon and I am a little
unsure of the duties required of me and my allowances and restrictions.
Also is a sub-deacon allowed to administer Holy Communion if given a
blessing?
regards
Cls

Answer to Question 73.

Dear Cls,If you are single then you
must think carefully before accepting to be ordained as a subdeacon,
because the canons of the Church forbid a subdeacon to marry after he is
ordained. This ruling is sometimes overlooked by some bishops, but
others follow strictly to the rule. Because of this ruling two types of
subdeacons have evolved in the Church – the ordained subdeacon and the
simply "blessed" subdeacon who in reality is just an acolyte.

Duties may be similar, but
the ordained subdeacon has certain duties not allowed to other helpers
in the Sanctuary.

Subdeacons, like readers,
are permitted to wear a cassock, although many do so only when attending
services. At all other times their dress is no different from the laity.

During the Divine Liturgy
he vests with the sticharion. The sticharion is a long-sleeved tunic
that reaches all the way to the ground. In addition to this, a subdeacon
will also wear an orarion. The orarion will be tied around his waist, up
over his shoulders (forming an X-shaped cross in back), and with the
ends hanging down in front, tucked under the section around the waist in
an X-shaped cross. In places where acolytes also wear orarions, they are
distinct from subdeacons in that an acolytes orarion hangs straight down
in front.

The ordained subdeacon has
the following duties:

● Serving in the Sanctuary,
generally as the head server.

● Co-ordinating and leading
the serving team.

● Training new altar
servers.

● Care of the altar area,
including cleaning the altar area, looking after the vestments of
clergy, looking after the cloths of the Holy Table, including cleaning,
mending and changing them according to feasts, fasts and seasons.
Preparing the Prothesis beforehand, making sure everything is in place
before the start of the Office of Oblation. For this reason, he has a
general blessing to touch the Holy Table, the Table of Oblation and Holy
Vessels, which a blessed subdeacon, acolyte, reader and other servers
may not do.

● To assist the bishop when
he is presiding, by: vesting the bishop, holding the bishop's service
book, carrying the bishop's staff, presenting the bishop with the dikeri
and trikeri.

● Operating the veil and
the curtain of the Royal Doors.

● Other duties that the
bishop may assign.

● Any of the duties of a
Reader, if required. He may read the reading from the Apostle at the
Divine Liturgy.

● Other duties that the
priest may assign.

● As a member of the minor
clergy, a subdeacon - according to his abilities - might be entrusted
with the duties of: cantor, catechist or other leadership roles in the
community.

Outside of hierarchical
services, the subdeacon serves in the altar as any other server but, as
highest-ranking of the minor clergy.

In general, a subdeacon is
not allowed to administer Holy Communion, this is the duty of the higher
clergy, but if the priest is elderly and needs assistance, the local
bishop might as an act of economy, give such a blessing to a subdeacon,
if no deacon is available to assist.

The blessed subdeacon who
has not been ordained may not touch the altar or assume other
prerogatives of ordained subdeacons outside services.